Michele Albert - Getting Her Man

Private Investigator Diana Belmaine always gets her man -- and her hunt for a brazen, clever thief leads the cool blonde straight to Dr. Jack Austin. A globetrotting adventurer and shoo-in for "America's Most Eligible Bachelor," Jack is a pillar of the community -- and guilty as sin. But while his gorgeous smile could melt nearly any woman's resistance, she's learned her lesson about sweet-talking men and won't be swayed by Jack's obvious charms, no matter how much the criminally handsome hunk turns up the heat. Jack is used to living life on the edge and is drawn to smart, sexy women with a bite -- but this lady is wickedly dangerous! Diana's vow to expose his secret could cost him his livelihood, his reputation, perhaps even his life. He should keep his distance, though closing in on her tempting curves is a risk he can't resist. With nothing left to lose, his beautiful adversary his only salvation, why not surrender to fate and steal her heart with a deep, lingering ... larcenous ... kiss?

Comment: I got this book from Bookmooch and I had it in my TBR list since november 2011. I knew about it somewhere and wrote down the title and that I should get it. When I finally did I was happy but as it has been waiting for so long I don't remember anymore the reason why I wanted it in the first place. This month I decided I just had to read it.

This is the story of Diana Belmaine, she's a PI and is hired to look for some pieces her new boss wants to retrieve. While investigating, Diana comes across Jack Austin, a teacher/archaeologist that also features as one of the most sought after bachelors. Diana is convinced this pillar of the community is the thief of the pieces and sets up a path to unmask him. But while doing this, Diana gets to meet Jack better and she falls for him too...

I'd say the best word to describe this book is satisfying.  It's not overly exciting or thrilling but it's not bad either. It's just good enough to entertain a bit. I confess I expected a bit more, not because Ive waited years to read it and it should have been better, but mostly because by the premise it has everything to be great. Sometimes, what we think will be perfect ends up being not so good and vice versa, isn't it?

The two main characters were OK. But to be honest, I don't feel I really knew them. I guess part of this "feel" is the writer's style, which I thought was too plain and straight. I don't know, but as a reader, comparing the writing style o others, I'd say this one was a bit too plain, like nothing special came out of it, the characterization was to the point and the scenes did show some aspects of their personalities, but I wasn't happy to meet them nor did I feel anything different about them, They were two characters obviously fictional and when I finished the book I wasn't sorry to leave them. Perhaps I'm not explaining well, but I hope you understand.
Diana was apparently a good female lead but her emotions, despite valid, never intrigue me or drew me to her. She was too robotic in a way. The same with Jack, he had interesting details about him, good motivations for acting like he did, but I was never sold on him, as a person. I don't now, but they felt phony, lie they were supposed to match and they did but to the reader is was a fake couple acting, like a movie or something, when the acting is so plain you don't forget it's acting...you now?

The time spent reading wasn't badly spent, no. But I wouldn't re-read either.
The plot had some interesting details, the thefts, the investigation, the sexual tension at some point...but I felt nothing really mixed together. I mean, it looked like all the pieces were there, they could match but somehow some of them didn't fit that well when it was needed. Lol, I'm sorry I can't explain this better, but all in all, it did feel like a rehearsal to a movie.

I wasn't sorry to put the book down when it was over. It's now in my shelf, quite good looking but the story wasn't as good as I imagined. What a pity, but sometimes it's just the way things are...
Grade: 4/10

Song #13

This song played a lot in several radios here when it was released. The group is Portuguese and to be honest, this is the only song I know without a doubt its theirs. I think it has a good enough melody and a certain romantic feel to it.

It's not a favorite, but it's memorable to me.

Matilde Asensi - The Last Cato

A masterful blend of Christian scholarship and thrilling adventure, The Last Cato is a novel about the race to find the secret location of the Vera Cruz, the True Cross on which Christ was crucified, and the ancient brotherhood sworn to protect it.
Holy relics are disappearing from sacred spots around the world—and the Vatican will do whatever it takes to stop the thieves from stealing what is left of the scattered splinters of the True Cross.
Brilliant paleographer Dr. Ottavia Salina is called upon by the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church to decipher the scars found on an Ethiopian man's corpse: seven crosses and seven Greek letters.
The markings, symbolizing the Seven Deadly Sins, are part of an elaborate initiation ritual for the Staurofilakes, the clandestine brotherhood hiding the True Cross for centuries, headed by a secretive figure called Cato.
With the help of a member of the Swiss Guard and a renowned archaeologist, Dr. Salina uncovers the connection between the brotherhood and Dante's Divine Comedy, and races across the globe to Christianity's ancient capitals. Together, they will face challenges that will put their faith—and their very lives—to the ultimate test.

Comment: A reader's biggest problem is to find time to read. Then it's to actually read the books on all those piles we keep adding titles into. So, although it's a bit shameful, it's also not a big surprise this book has been in my TBR list for a little bit more than 3 years. I bought it on sale once because the theme seemed very interesting and I thought it would suit a great day of reading (a that time I didn't have a job yet). Well, time had gone by since then and this year I've put this title in my monthly lists because I wanted to get it out of the way. I wasn't actually prepared to enjoy it as much as I did.

The story is contemporary. It follows three main characters through their journey to solve a mystery and to unravel the reasons why a man is dead after a plane crash and mostly why he had catholic things in a box and why his body is full of symbols. The main characters are a professor, a nun and a captain from the Swiss Guard of the Vatican, a very unlikely team, but one we'd get to know well and hope to succeed. Their travels start at the Vatican but will go abroad, always following Dante Alighieri's book, Divine Comedy, as a clue index. What would happen when they finally reach the conclusion to their adventure?

Another of the many things that plague a reader is how often they wish they could have read a certain book sooner than they did. Well, the same thing happened with this one. For me, this one of the best books I've read this year and I really regret not having picked it before!
I've read this book in Portuguese and it's one of those we wished more people would see its beauty and how special it was for us. I know everyone feels different about the same things, but this book really made my year.

The story starts with the investigation of the dead man from the plane crash but the idea that something important is behind his death is also pretty fast to find out. The three characters don't know each other from the start, only when Ottavia, the nun that works at the Vatican finds out things she wasn't supposed to and is dismissed. But she knows so she is invited to help the captain again and with the help of the professor, the three of them start to decipher the message hidden in the Divine Comedy and how this can help them to know the location of one of the Cristianism's most sought relics, the Cross where Christ was crucified.
I thought the goal of this novel to be a very interesting one. Being a catholic myself, I also am curious to know if what was found out three centuries after Christ died was the real thing and this book offers a very well researched data on this and on many other subjects about the Cristianism. In fact, the historical data and figures is something not boring and actually very well inserted into the main storyline. I loved learning so man things and not feeling I was having information dumped on me. As every factoid was used within the story, we learn things without being aware of that in a boring way, which I thought was clever of the author and quite the writing trick.

This book is purely fictional though. It does make references to historical facts and contemporary names well known by the public, but the story itself is only fictional and made up. Still, the author has written things is a very passionate and fluid way and I couldn't put the book down. There's even a romance, which I thought was so beautiful and with so many great scenes.
The characters were develop well enough and we got to see some human and personal development at the same time the plot evolved. We see their lives outside this and it ads up to their characterization, making them more real d in a way, close to us. So, this is a very fluid story like I said and also very alive and vibrant. I really liked the book, is full of things and people and new details about this or that and I loved every month spent reading it.

This book is fictional, like I said, but still, I thought the end was a little bit too fantasy-like and it's the only reason why I don't give it a perfect 10. It didn't ruin the story for me, quite the opposite, but it's still something I can't ignore. Still, it was marvelous and I wanted to read it all nonstop, which I couldn't, but I really had that will to carry on...I think when a book pulls you like that, it has to be a winner!
I recommend it to everyone!
Grade: 9/10

Susanna Kearsley - The Firebird

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images; glimpses

of those who have owned it before. It’s never been a gift she wants, and she keeps it a secret from most people, including her practical boss Sebastian, one of London’s premier dealers in Russian art.
But when a woman offers Sebastian a small wooden carving for sale, claiming it belonged to Russia’s first Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof. Sebastian believes that the plain carving — known as “The Firebird” — is worthless. But Nicola’s held it, and she knows the woman is telling the truth, and is in desperate need of the money the sale of the heirloom could bring.
Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left, and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than hers. With Rob to help her “see” the past, she follows a young girl named Anna from Scotland to Belgium and on into Russia. 
There, in St. Petersburg — the once-glittering capital of Peter the Great’s Russia — Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption…an old story that seems personal and small, perhaps, against the greater backdrops of the Jacobite and Russian courts, but one that will forever change their lives.

Comment: This is the most recent story by this author. I got it mostly because I wanted to have all the books by the author but I picked this one sooner than other boos she wrote first because it has a character as protagonist that showed up in my favorite book by her, The Shadowy Horses. I was so curious to see if because of him, other beloved characters would show up too...

This is the story of Nicola and Rob. Rob is a policeman and her has psychic powers. He's the child from the book I mentioned who played an important part then. Now I was happy to see he's a good man, fair and friendly. He and Nicola had a relationship but Nicola wasn't ready for it and they broke up two years ago.
Nicola also has some psychic power and she finds out something about a client of the gallery of art where she works and wants to help her, but she thins she couldn't on her own. She asks Rob for help and together they unravel what's behind a small fire bird and what it meant...

I was quite curious about this story and how a character I've known would be like in the protagonist seat and most important, how he would be like as a grown up. I was quite happy with this, because little Robbie, now Rob, is a good man and he uses his powers in a very open way and has the respect from being a good person. Although his life isn't explored much we get the idea he's dealt well with challenges he had and he embraces his psychic powers proudly.
This is the main conflict int he contemporary storyline, because Nicola doesn't want to talk or to show her powers in any way. This was the main reason they broke up and now that she needs Rob's help, those feelings come to life again but this time love does speak louder and obviously they get their HEA. Still, I thought it was subtle -as per author's trademark - but convincing. I'd still have liked to see some more about this, I always think some things could be a bit more explicit, more discussed or enriched. But it's not bad, no.
And why? Because there's the other storyline that presents and interesting opposition to this one, or we can look at the similarities, it depends on who reads it.

The story from the past is set in Russia, mostly, and it's about Anna, she is the daughter from the main couple of Sophia's Secret. The author really tidied loose points here...anyway, Anna travels to Russia after an indiscretion in the convent where she was and because of something she said, an uncle is punished. She runs away and is helped by mr Gordon, he's an official in the navy and works in Russia. Anna grows up like his adopted daughter and also in the party of King James of Scotland, a theme from Sophia's Secret too. This part f the story was harder for m to get into, but the more I read, the more interesting it became, mainly after Anna falls in love. 

The author has a good talent to merger past and present but I admit I usually prefer the contemporary side because I feel she takes too much care about the past things and not as much with the present and I thin it should be the opposite. Ok, this is a personal preference, but I really do. The past always seems to have the stronger focus, though, so in a way, it's more detailed and presented to the reader...I think they are no doubts she is a god writer, preferences apart.

This book also allowed me to learn new things, always a good thing. I think the environment and the way things were linked together worked well.
So, this book teaches us  good lesson about how to be patient, how to trust and how sometimes the unexpected can be a good thing. I'll cherish this book, for sure, even though I still prefer the other one best.
Grade: 8/10

W. A. Hoffman - Brethren

John Williams, the Viscount of Marsdale, libertine, duelist, dilettante, haphazard philanthropist and philosopher, is asked by his estranged father to start a plantation in Jamaica in 1667. He doesn't realize that he is going to the right island for the wrong reasons until he meets buccaneers and learns he has far more in common with the wild Brethren of the Coast than he does with the nobility of Christendom. Still, he questions joining them and leaving his title and the plantation behind, until he meets Gaston the Ghoul, a mysterious French buccaneer who is purportedly mad. He quickly decides that the freedom of the buccaneer life and even the mere chance of love that a man such as Gaston might offer are better than anything he could ever inherit. But even though Gaston seems intrigued by him, can the crazy Frenchman ever love him?

Comment: I got this book a long time ago. I thought it wouldn't be as interesting as that, although I did see many good reviews about it. Nevertheless, I left the poor book alone for a long time, always delaying its reading. This month I decided it was a long time coming and I had to read it.

This is the story of John William Marsdale, he's the heir to an earldom but something in his younger years sent him away from home, and he traveled the continent going to several places like Italy, Austria and France. He always knew he was fond of men more than women and in his travels he got to be all the characters he wouldn't be able to in his home country. Still, after 10 years away, he sees himself in trouble and decided it's time to go back, although his father might not want to see him anymore. However, as soon as he arrives he sees some changes to the life he knew and his father makes him an offer he actually accepts...

I really, absolutely loved this book! It's ore than 500 pages and I loved every minute I spent reading. This is a story of adventures and how people can grow up and see themselves for who they really are instead of just following conventions.

The story revolves around the buccaneers of the 17th century, a sort of pirates that had their own rules and goals. I thought the author's investigation was very complete and interesting and I enjoyed learning the many facts pertaining this group's existence. The author also leaves a lengthy list at the end of the book about her source of information.
Buccaneers were more than just pirates though. Many of those men had real relationships and for more than just handy excuses. I was very fascinated with all of this and how things happened in those days, specially in a part of the world I admit I don't have much knowledge of, except the most basic things, like it was the Caribbean islands in a century way, way distant from paradise vacations like it is nowadays. I liked the factual and history lessons quite a lot and as everything was included in the storyline and not dumped just because it made its reading much more interesting and thoughtful.

The fictional part is the history of John Marsdale, mostly known as Will, and how h travels to Jamaica to oversee his father new plantation. There he gets to meet several people and ways of life very different from the prim England society and he gets to develop his person with those people and with more freedom. He also meets Gaston, a French buccaneer he feels not only physically attracted to but also intellectually, because Gaston is intelligent and apparently shares Will's birthright and childhood experiences. The two guys have a lot in common and one of the most focal points in the story is how each one develops his own personality by being with the other and how together they manage to have a relationship based on trust, love, confidentiality, shared knowledge, philosophical thoughts and beliefs. I liked each one of them a lot and even more so when they act like a couple.
The guy's relationship isn't easy or carnal; it's more a meeting of minds and deep respect by what the other feels and thinks. I was very impressed with the level of character development in this story, the author was very smart and precise in depicting the most important facts to this story. I'm sure there's more to come, considering there are three more installments with a huge page count as well. By the way, I can't wait to have them!

This book was a constant source of emotions, of things happening which made possible for the reader to know those characters well and to want to see them have some happiness. There were many scenes to make us think, many ideas to wonder about and I can say this boo isn't basic. This is a thoughtful, well researched and intelligent story told with a purpose and to make the reader care and to think about what was happening and why the characters behaved in a way or said certain things.

I enjoyed this a lot and I wouldn't change much, just a little detail here and there more for personal taste than textual necessity. I do recommend this to anyone who enjoys historicals, interesting character development and of course, a romantic story full of special scenes to warm up your heart.
Grade: 9/10

Jenna Black - Speak of the Devil

Morgan Kingsley, America’s most successful exorcist, is paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim’s family is suing the daylights out of her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she’s living on a diet of ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is her current boyfriend, nice-guy legal eagle Brian, who’s suddenly starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who’s trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present—a severed human hand—and why someone seems determined to destroy her. 
As her stalker turns more violent, leaving dead bodies in his wake, Morgan turns to the dark side of her life: a group of demons steeped in secrets, sinful eroticism, and otherworldly family feuds, including one sexy beast who shares Morgan’s body—and some X-rated fantasies. Soon Morgan must choose between her friends, her enemies, and her libido: to escape a mad demon determined to destroy her completely.

Comment: This is the fourth book in the Morgan Kingsley series. So far, this has been a great surprise, as I thought this to be plain and after all, it's an interesting and vivid series full of good scenes and plot twists. There's only one book left now and I'll be sorry to see this end.

In this book, Morgan faces a law suit. She is suspended and unsure about the whole thing because her job has been the only unchangeable thing in her life for the last months. She is also worried abut her relationship with her boyfriend and about Lugh's power on the mortal plan and how she will have to help him further.
When Morgan thinks her troubles are more than annoying, they start to be deadly as well and quite macabre...who wants to destroy her life so badly?

Once again, I really enjoyed a story in this series. I think that, so far, everything has been very averagely good and there's not a book much better or much worse than the others. I like what to expect in a book with these characters and it's such a nice feeling to start it and to spend time with it. I haven't read anything else by the author but this series is indeed special.

Morgan sees herself in trouble again, the poor woman is always on the move about something. She has to deal with her personal issues, mostly her doubts concerning her boyfriend's patience with her, as she is very insecure about her relationship and how much she can really trust to Brian. She has the issues many women surely have in real life, she fears she might not be good enough for him or that he might leave her so she keeps a part of her safe to prevent bigger hurt, but with Dominic's help she realizes if she trust Brian completely she might have perfect happiness. Of course it's not that simple and she goes through some heartbreak before reaching that conclusion, but this side of her character is very plausible and realistically done.

As for her role in he demon's war, she keeps being a key player because of her close relationship with Lugh, the demon king. She grew a somewhat solid connection with him and even respect and she is bent in helping him. Because of this her life is a mess, but she also has the help of other characters, her only friends actually, and things end up being done. I like this side of the books, the plot-related stuff and how we don't get bored with Morgan or her failure at times. Sometimes I feel lie shouting at her, don't do that!, but in the end, obviously, things get in shape again.

The secondary characters keep their path of adding more depth to the story, to those element's interest and importance and I love to see them all interact. I think it's a good cast and very motivated.

Like I said, the next book will be the last and I hope the author manages a good end for this story, I hope it's not rushed because until this fourth book, things have been happening slowly and although I enjoyed it, I also want to see things solved well.
This book was a good one and it showed Morgan dealing with several issues she had to at some point and it was a very enjoyable read as always.
Grade: 8/10

Sally Mackenzie - The Naked Gentleman

John Parker-Roth cannot believe that marriage is necessary for his happiness. He would far rather pursue his interest in horticulture, but if one day he should find a female who shared his passion for flowers—a level-headed, calm sort of female—he might reconsider. Certainly the lovely young woman who has just tumbled into his lap will not do, as she possesses neither of these admirable qualities. 
Yet Miss Margaret Peterson does have many things in her favor. To begin with, she is a true English rose, blushing a delectable pink. And she is not entirely clothed. Her full mouth begs to be kissed. If only she would not wriggle so . . . oh, dear. He cannot ignore the sudden vision of her in his bed, but he must. 
What? Is Meg actually asking him to kiss her? Well, well, well. John Parker-Roth is a gentleman, first and foremost. And he cannot turn down a lady’s request . . 

Comment: This is another of the installments in this series by Sally Mackenzie. It's the story of John Parker-Roth and Meg, characters we've known from previous books. This book can be read as a stand alone but it's best if read in order, for many details are better understood with the other books behind adding plot subjects.

John Parker-Roth is mostly interested in plants. His business deals also are about that and his brother travels a lot to help him. He doesn't care about marriage because he considers women too bland. He thought h might be happy with Grace though, so when she left in at the altar for another man, he decided women were just too much trouble, although Meg Peterson seems as happy to talk about plants as he.
Meg feels very attracted to John and for a while after meeting him she thought he felt the same but much time has passed and not a word from him. Meg wants to marry, to have her family and if possible, a good garden estate as well. But she also wanted John to be part of her vision...

I liked this book but in a nutshell, I thought it took too long for things to happen. Meg and John are found out together and forced to marry but they only do almost at the end. I get the challenge, the why it was so delayed, after all it wasn't an easy situation, but at some point I go a bit bred with all that and I think this one was a bit weaker in terms of plot comparing to other previous installments.

Meg and John start to have feelings fr each other and despite knowing in real life it's so easy to place bad decisions and to have wrong ideas about something, or even to complicate something simple, in books I prefer things more rational, more well explained and fluid. It was an issue that, combined with the slow pace of things, I couldn't out aside while reading and I just wanted them to do something, to act, to finally marry.
Their characters didn't seem that bad at first glance. Each one had wants and had hopes for what their life might be and being forced to take a step like marriage that way put a strain on their developing feelings, so at the end I also thin their personalities didn't seem as captivating because what they did and what they wanted seemed so much in conflict.

There are several secondary characters and we even have many scenes from their POVs, which makes the book feel very populated, although it's also nice to see what characters from previous books have been doing. Still,it was annoying to see them talk so much about their intimate lives...I think after the first one we got the point they are all happy.

I thought many situations in this book to be a bit pushed at the reader, meaning the author seemed bent on making an idea come across and to me it looked too much. I didn't notice this in other books, so I wonder what my problem was or if it's the book itself that just didn't measure up.
I only have one book left to read in the series and part of me is relived because despite some good moments, scenes and dialogs, most books so far also were be a bit annoying at some points.
Grade: 5/10

TBR Challenge: Christine Feehan - Water Bound

The last thing Lev Prakenskii remembered was being lost in the swirling currents of the ocean and getting sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy off the coastal town of Sea Haven. Just as quickly, just a miraculously, he was saved—pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger. But Lev has no memory of who he is—or why he seems to possess the violent instincts of a trained killer. All he knows is that he fears for his life, and for the life of his unexpected savior.
Her name is Rikki, a sea~urchin diver in Sea Haven. She has always felt an affinity for the ocean, and for the seductive pull of the tides. And now she feels drawn in the same way to the enigmatic man she rescued. But soon they will be bound by something even stronger, and their tantalizing secrets will engulf them both in a whirlpool of dizzying passion and inescapable danger.

Comment: It's time for the challenge book of the month. October has the theme of paranormal or romantic suspense. I chose this book because it's been in my TBR list for three years and I thought it would suit the paranormal part, the romantic one and even the suspense as well! So, three in one on this one. It might not be most fascinating pick but it will be one out of the pile, so...

This book is a spin off of the Drake Sisters series and it focuses on another set of sisters, not biological, but from the heart. 
This story is about Rikki, she has an affinity with water and her work is all about catching sea-urchins to sell. She has a troubled past and has been running from fire all her life since her parents died. She found safety with her new sisters who take care of her and made possible for her to have a good life and close to the ocean, which she needs to be around.
Lev Prakenskii is found by Rikki after a huge wave rocks her boat. He was on another boat and escapes from an explosion barely alive. Rikki rescues and helps him and while he recuperates, he starts seeing the possibility of a live with her, but only if he takes care of who's after her first.

This book wasn't that bad, and it provided  good enough storyline and scenes. It had some changes from what I'm used to from her other novels. This book was a bit more easy to follow in terms of plot and character building, something not always easy in other books because most times, the author wants to delay things.
I thin this book wasn't as prolonged as others and I think it wasn't so bad in the plot development; it was possible to see where things were going in a more decisive way. Still, when the book was over and I had turned the last page I had the immediate thought the 443 pages used could have been less and I'm pretty sure one hundred pages less would have gotten the job done as well and probably not all that bad either. The author takes a long time writing things that could be shorter. But I guess for those hard core fans this is also part of her appeal as a writer, so... it's just that, for me, after all the books by her I've read it can become a bit tiresome.

The characters were likable enough too. Lev is the image of her trademark heroes, mysterious, dark and dangerous when not with people he trusts. You now, the usual. A big part of the plot was about his new identity and how he coped with the things he did in the past.
The real surprise was Rikki, she is a heroine I don't remember seeing in the author's novels and I liked her a lot. She has a disability and has managed to build up her life despite that and even after many hard times and experiences. She was quite the refreshing heroine and it was very interesting to follow her and her mental processes and way of life. I liked her a lot and she saved he book for me.

The plot isn't new or surprising. It's about two people surviving a wave at sea, then she helps him, he wants a new life, he helps her and she shows him he is worthy of love while telling her she has the right to be loved as well. Simple.

Apart from the usual elements expected in this author's books and the prolonged size of the text, I actually had a good time reading because what was predictable I didn't hate and in the end some things were different enough to grab my attention. I think this is an author whether you like and set your hopes on a good routine thus loving her work, or you like some things and find other annoying (like it happens to me).

All in all, a good enough book, strong elements and a solid enough story to base the plot and voilá, the usual trademark by the author in an emotional and hopeful story.
Grade: 6/10

Jojo Moyes - Me Before You

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Comment: This book was offered to me on my birthday last month. My friend told me not to read anything about it before starting it and she was also afraid of my reaction (don't know why I read almost anything) because of its theme. I was so curious and did try to stay away from reviews...but sometimes a comment here and there can jump in front of our eyes without us knowing so...I didn't know what would happen but I saw a word and had a pretty good idea about what it was anyway...

This is the story of Lou and Will. Lou is a young woman living a very conformed life, always the same things and without many expectations in life.
Will has suffered an accident and is now a quadriplegic and his days are also always the same, except he can't be on his own and depends on others for everything, for the rest of his life. These two are in different stages in life but their friendship will prove to be timeless.

This is a book to make you cry, have no doubts about it. But it also has funny moments and I saw myself laughing about a joke and some situations here and there.
This is such a powerful story...it touches some emotions within ourselves we thought we could deal with easily and in a decisive manner but the biggest lesson we can be taught in this book is there is no black and white in everything...there are too many grey areas and even the things we were sure of, even when we think our choices are simple, there's a lot to think about.

Lou has a simple life but she has things to deal with in her past. She lived with it and change her way of life over that even if others don't see it. When she becomes Will's carer he'll learn so many things, live so many experiences and see so many points of views I think many people will think it was Lou's job to be changed but I think when it comes to what each person feels can be a whole different world apart from the norm and Lou showed things aren't easy and always what we think we might get. I liked her character and her will to fight and to try and how she gave everything in her to make things happen, to prove and share things so Will could see through her eyes as well. The story is told from her perspective, except four chapters spread through the book, which are told from secondary characters.
We can have a very easy access to her feelings this way and it does enhance the emotion in the book.

Will is a man who lives with the knowledge he changed. His life isn't his own anymore. But he still keeps his personality although the challenges weak him more and more and he can't live with the idea he'll be like that until he dies. When he meets Lou he thinks she'll just be another person and nothing more but the same way he teaches her things about life's expectations and experiences and living every day like it's the last and enjoying life and making life worth it all, he also learns things from Lou and sees in her a feeling he no longer felt worthy of. It's an emotional roller coaster for him too.

I won't tell spoilers like I said before. This is the kind of book to read without any other thought in the way. The advice to read it without clues is a sound one. Just be prepared to cry and laugh and to be judge and executioner. It's not easy and although at some point you imagine you know the end, there's still things in the journey that will strike you fast and heavily in the chest. It's not easy, no.
I don't give this a perfect ten because if it were me, I'd have the end done in another way. Not different completely, just in a different way.

I hope you can read it and please, do not read spoilers or reviews or anything else before. Just order the book or buy it and close yourself at home until you finish it.
I get my friend now...maybe it's a book that will make you point the finger at that person and say, "what were you thinking"...but I don't regret it personally, so...
Grade: 9/10

Mercy Celeste - Sidelined

After leading his team to two Super Bowl wins, being cut leaves quarterback Levi Brody reeling. Betrayed, scared, and picking up the pieces from a failed love affair, he abandons New Orleans for the speck-on-the-map Alabama town he left behind. He wants nothing more than to hide out and lick his wounds, but an interfering brother thrusts him back into sports—coaching high school football. Where once he’d ruled the field as star player, now he’s taking orders from a very young, very attractive head coach. A coach with a deep-rooted hatred for all things Levi Brody.
Head coach of the newly formed East County High, Tracy Wright has his work cut out for him. Forming three former rival teams into one working unit is all that he can handle. The last thing he needs is an interfering golden boy. He has no use for Levi Brody, until discovering how much Levi has to offer both the team and Tracy. 
Small town jealousy plus big city secrets converge, and just might leave both men Sidelined.

Comment: I got this ebook because the plot seemed intriguing. I always like stories where the main couple doesn't agree on things from the start. I thought I'd be getting a story based on that old theme of opposites attract and I couldn't wait.

This is the story of Lev Brody, he got injured in a football game and his team told him to go. He returns home with a broken heart, a hurt pride and a will to forget. This is how Tracy Wright finds him at a bar, getting drunk.
Tracy was told he had to work with Levi, he's nemesis and crush from high school years. However, the man in front of him isn't the cold person only interested in money or glory he thought he would be and a one night stand will change into something much more..personal.

Well, when I started this story I thought the characters talked to each other in a very rude way without having to, I mean, they were going to have sex but did they need to talk like that? I thought it was a little way over the top for them, but ok...

Then the story would develop and we would learn all about Levi's passion for a fellow football player who had lost the love of his life in Iraq and after starting a sort of healing relationship with Levi, his partner returned alive after all and thus making Levi's heart break painfully. Then Levi's career issues with his injury were the last bullet to his sanity. Levi returns home to mend his head and heart and he starts meeting people, he has a relationship with Tracy which was fast but not that unbelievable and he even jumps to help the ids with the job promised to him and he is a natural in teaching young kids and has the patience for that.

Tracy has decided to stay where he grew up. He is the school's football coach and he enjoys the status he has and the help and hope he offers. Levi has been a thorn in his past but he is quite changed now. I enjoyed seeing the developments of their conversations and expectations towards a relationship. At this point I was pleased enough with the way things were going. The guys weren't admitting they were starting to have feelings for each other but we could see that anyway.

Then, the plot changed...after a part where we could see Levi and Tracy's interactions with each other and other characters and when we were starting to have an idea of how things were going to end, suddenly the plot actually twists and we learn Levi has a hidden side I totally was not expecting. I mean, I was..what? This twist didn't have to exist in my opinion...I won't tell spoilers but Levi's personality has a side I thought was way over the top for this story! There was no need..and no, it's not BDSM. I mean, my issue with this isn't that Levi had that side, it was more why it had to be part of his character, there was no need, the story was already full of developments and elements, I thought this was the author's attempt to push the plot more into "check this out" mode...no need at all..or if she was so bent on that, then she could have eased on other things....the story went from quite enjoyable to a sort of circus. Not that good at all.
I can't put this aside, so the rest of the book lost part of the charm for me..but well, author's prerogative and all that.

I liked the set up for the next story. I might read it but I confess I'm scared of what may be on it...I hope it's a more thoughtful story. there also a first book but I won't read it, it's not a theme that interests me and I know how it ends considering it features characters we see in this book.

All in all, a very good start, many good ideas but a unnecessary twist that ruined things a little bit.
Grade: 5/10

Caitlin Brennan - The Mountain's Call

Tales are told of the mysterious, powerful Mountain where the gods, powerful beings in the form of white horses live. But Valeria knows no woman has ever been called to the Mountain. Until she feels a strange pull and answers the call...as a boy.
When her secret is discovered Valeria loses all that she's won. Her anger and frustration with the Empire might be enough to give the barbarians a way into the Mountain. And so the Empire now depends on the will, the strength and the loyalty of one Rider. A Rider who has been rejected by all but the gods.

Comment: I've had this book to read for...well, this is one of those I can no longer remember. It's just been there for more than two years, for sure! Anyway, I don't even know why but since I like fantasy it must have been for it.

This is the story of young Valeria. She heard the Call, which is a spiritual call from the Gods in her world to the proper boys of the whole kingdom to serve them as be part of an elite brotherhood, kind of. However, Valeria is not a boy and her mother tries to stop her from traveling to the mountain where the Gods are with the students and the other members. But the Call is too strong and Valeria can't resist it, so she runs away and tries to reach the mountain alone. Her path won't be easy and arriving there is only one of the issues she has to face until the challenge to prevent a war is also her duty.

This book had an interesting plot and characters. It had an interesting structured world too. But it's not a perfect world because I found a thing here and there a bit cliched and annoying to me, personally.
Valeria is a young woman and she leaves home to answer the call the gods put on her. So far, so good, the Call has power and Valeria can't resist it. On the way to the mountain she is almost assaulted but someone helps her and later she even finds more people who go to the Mountain so she isn't alone. Once there she passes the tests to become a Rider of the Gods, who in this world present themselves as horses and the greatest recognition is to be a Rider of a God. I liked this part of the novel and read quite fast because I was really into things and how Valeria would succeed without telling she's a girl. She meets her rescuer too and finds out he's actually an important Rider there. There's some attraction between them and I had hopes.

Then Valeria is found out, others look at her strangely but they don' send her off because the gods like her and she has a strong connection to them. At this point things started to be more weird plot wise and it was obvious he bad guys had a plan to destroy the Gods and change the path of the world. Valeria starts to have a more active part now that she is a God's favorite and the reader gets to know all the reasons behind her actions while the other characters don't so despite not agreeing with many things she does I can see why. 
She gets involved with the enemy not only because she sees in that a way to help the Gods and Kerrec, her rescuer and the one she says she loves. Many people say it's bad to don't like Valeria's promiscuity in this case but I didn't like it because she showed feelings for the enemy, she wasn't doing it because she had too. She justified it with that but there wasn't really hate or duty in her bing with him. in a way I didn't like this because it made her more grey in a situation I'D preferred to see things black and white. I think the author was quite avant garde with this but to my romantic senses, Valeria looked like someone to rational and practical and I'd have liked to see her more romantic and traditional in the love area. Oh well..I didn't like this aspect of things and was a bit annoyed to be honest. But I think it's just me as I also seen some reviewers saying it was a nice twist.

The action starts to revolve around the plot to kill the emperor of the kingdom where Valeria lives and the Gods rule and this part was a bit more boring for me because it showed a side of Valeria I didn't particularly enjoy. Kerrec also had his issues with his family and the torture he suffers, the betrayals he thinks he's seeing...many elements that with a different heroine could have been reason for a believable angst but I just thought it was annoying.

The book ends as well as it could, i now there are sequels and who knows if I'll try them..but at this point I'm still thinking about it. It was a good story, many good elements especially in the first half of the story, but then many other things put a strain on my enjoyment and made me grade this lower than what I thought I would.
Grade 5/10

Ruthie Knox - About Last Night

Cath Talarico knows a mistake when she makes it, and God knows she’s made her share. So many, in fact, that this Chicago girl knows London is her last, best shot at starting over. But bad habits are hard to break, and soon Cath finds herself back where she has vowed never to go . . . in the bed of a man who is all kinds of wrong: too rich, too classy, too uptight for a free-spirited troublemaker like her.
Nev Chamberlain feels trapped and miserable in his family’s banking empire. But beneath his pinstripes is an artist and bohemian struggling to break free and lose control. Mary Catherine—even her name turns him on—with her tattoos, her secrets, and her gamine, sex-starved body, unleashes all kinds of fantasies.
 When blue blood mixes with bad blood, can a couple that is definitely wrong for each other ever be perfectly right? And with a little luck and a lot of love, can they make last night last a lifetime?

Comment: I've read about this story somewhere and I thought it would be something I'd try some day. Well, the day has arrived and I can say I only regret not having read it sooner!

This is the story of Cath Talarico, she's an American living in England and working at a museum. She makes a mistake one night and ends up with Nev in his apartment. Although nothing happens during the night, in the morning when they talk things heat up between them and then it starts a romance between them and from then to more serious feelings is a very small step...

I liked this story a lot! It was very well done, I really loved the pace, not too fast where we could savor every feeling and thought while each main character was having it. I don't thin this romance boring at all, it's quite easy to follow and appreciate.
I thin this romance is about how everyone, even those who made mistakes in the past and think they're not good enough to overcome them or deserving of a happy ending, can actually live the dream and the reality of a relationship with the right person when apparently they shouldn't have anything in common. Above all, I thought this story to be romantic and beautiful. We all know the same book can be seen and talked about in countless ways by people but I really thin no one can't say it's not romantic.

Cath has done some things in her life she's not proud of. She hasn't got the best opportunities either and she regrets many things. She believes she's destined to be alone and no one would be happy with her. I tend to enjoy seeing heroines who don't have a good self esteem having a good story not because they could be easy, but because it's so interesting to see someone not so confident reacting to how others think of her. And Nev has a very different opinion of her from her own.
Nev on the other hand has more personal confidence but also some challenges to get by. He has a more reliable life but not the one he wanted or dreams about. Still, his relationship with Cath will make him see some things are so much better to live than to wonder about.

I really liked the tome of the story, how each one had to understand and reach some kind of goal to be happy. And they realized it was better to do it with the other, someone they could love and find strength in. Of course many things happened before this, both in terms f plot and personal development. Still, I as very glad by the way the author dealt with everything and how often we can see little clues to both their personalities. This is a very rich story about two different people, personal thoughts and wished and regrets and a common love that is so much more important than surroundings.
The end was very romantic and it had the exact amount of angst to make it perfect in the emotional level.

I recommend this to everyone who likes a good story, who liked romance and a talented writing style. I'll definitely read more by her in the future!
Grade: 9/10

Amy Lane - Wounded

Green: "If someone gives their life for you, it is because they can not bear to live in a world without you. This is a great gift and a terrible burden, and if you are going to live, you need to be grateful for the gift and prepared to bear the burden."
Cory: "I do fearsome things, when I'm touching people who love me..."
Cory fled the foothills to deal with the pain of losing Adrian, and Green watched her go. Separately, they could easily grieve themselves to death, but when an enemy brings them together, they find out what a great and terrible force love can be.

Comment: This is the second book in the Little Goddess series by the author. I liked the first one but after thinking about it for some time I found more things to dislike which meant that, despite keeping my general opinion abut it, I also lowered the grade a bit. Well, mentally at least.
I started this one only with the idea of going through with it to be one book closer to finish another series.

In this second book, Cory and Green are still raw after Adrian's gone. They have to deal with it and the support and needs from all the other people who live in the hill. They also have to prove to others heir feelings remain the same and are as strong as always. But what they can't do is to remain static with so many people dependent on them to keep their will to carry on and to feel accepted.

I kind of liked this one. I just thought things would be a bit more quiet and traditional but they didn't went that path. I should have guessed but I still had some hopes. I've described this series to a person as a YA fantasy erotica. Although the characters aren't teenagers, one of them is still even though with a personality beyond that. Still. 16 and 17 aren't numbers I immediately connect to mature people. I know, I know, everyone's different...anyway, the world is fantasy, vampires ans faeries and many other beings but they live in a society where it's not that strange for people to have re than one lover. I shouldn't have been surprised but I thought Green and Cory would become a couple and that's it.
They didn't....obviously. But you now, in a way I accepted things like they were being developed because considering the tone of the story it wasn't such a big deal.

Cory and Green have a special relationship but things aren't as easy as only the two of them. They have to consider two other people caught in a twist no one was expecting. I really was surprised with this as I didn't think I'd buy the whole idea of Cory kind of bonding with more than one guy that completely but in that world I wasn't surprised. I thin the author has an idea, a concept of how things are an she makes them work so even when apparently weird, things still manage to look fit like a good puzzle. Odd, but there it is.

The secondary characters are funny, interesting and I love to see them interacting as I think this is the biggest strength in the series.

What annoyed me really the most was the jumping scenes, things around...it was quite complicated to follow the action. So many things happening at the same time and not always as easy to interpret as that. At some point the reader gets an idea of what it meant and why but it can be quite the task to keep up. This slows down the reading a bit and can present a not so good image of the whole story, which is a pity.

All in all, not as bad as I thought, but despite some good surprised and easy immersing in the world, some structure story telling still bring the book down a notch.
Grade: 5/10

Robyn Carr - Moonlight Road

WITH HER BELOVED YOUNGER SIBLINGS SETTLED AND HAPPY, ERIN FOLEY HAS EMPTY NEST SYNDROME. AT AGE THIRTY-FIVE.
So she's hitting the pause button on her life and holing up in a secluded (but totally upgraded --- she's not into roughing it!) cabin near Virgin River. Erin is planning on getting to know herself ... not the shaggy-haired mountain man she meets.
In fact, beneath his faded fatigues and bushy beard, Aiden Riordan is a doctor, recharging for a summer after leaving the navy. He's intrigued by the pretty, slightly snooty refugee from the rat race --- her meditating and journaling are definitely keeping him at arm's length. He'd love to get closer ... if his scruffy exterior and crazy ex-wife don't hold him back.
But maybe it's something in the water --- unlikely romances seem to take root in Virgin River ... helped along by some well-intentioned meddling, of course.

Comment: This another installment of the Virgin River series I've started reading back in January. This month it was time for Aiden's story, he's a recurrent character and brother to two of the previous protagonists.

Aiden is out of the navy. After years dedicated to his career, he was asked to undergo another mission that would take years to complete and Aiden wants more of life than work. He feels it's time for a family ad he doesn't think he'll find the right woman in a ship. Plus he's had an awful experience with a navy woman, so he wants to be on land this time.
Erin has finally seen to her younger brother and sister's happiness and careers so she feels it' time for herself. She didn't count on feeling lonely but after loosing conscience because of the sudden appearance of a man in her newly re-made cabin in Virgin River, she thinks she might have been over her head in her attempt to have a vacation...

This story, like usually, it's a nice continuation of the series. The focus is mainly on Erin and Aiden but we still see many of the others, in particular Jack and Mel and many scenes with several of the others.

Aiden has had a good life, but a bad experience with marriage. Still, after seeing two of his brothers finding women perfect for them it kind of renewed in him the faith of having a family of his own. He feels he'll have better chance at that close to Virgin River, where his brother Luke lives. After a holiday he is ready to look for a job in the closest cities and who knows, finding someone as well. He meets Erin and she has a little accident and Aiden takes her to the hospital. There is some misunderstanding between them but it's clear there's attraction there.
I liked Aiden, he is a solid characters, many god characteristics about his personality but he isn't perfect and we see that when something happens and he is close to loose his temper. Life can be a challenge sometimes and everyone has their issues.

Erin has lived her life to help her family, mostly since her mother died. She took care of her younger siblings and now that they're finally living their own lives away from home, Erin takes a vacation and tries to have personal time. But she feels alone because everything she ever did was for some goal, for someone else and she fears she can't relax. Her relationship with Aiden is interesting to see develop and sometimes it's obvious she isn't as confident about it as she is about work, but it was fun to see her trying to be careless. She has a great personality - something we've saw in book #4 where she first showed up - but we got to understand her and her wishes, her hopes...she never thought she could have a family but Aiden comes along and they fall in love.

This wasn't my favorite book in the series simply because the romance, despite being cute and all, was a bit too easy and too perfectly done, almost like a bit artificial. I wanted some more spontaneity or freshness...it wasn't bad, just a bit predictable.
Many other things happen to balance the sweetness of the romance, specially the issue about Jack and Mel, but overall, this story felt a bit unbalanced towards the sweet side. At least it felt like it for me.

What gives strength to this series is how we see many characters playing a part in the lives of everyone how wonderful the sense of family and community is. This didn't stop in this book and I can assure it's one of the best points in the story as well. I hope it can keep up like this all the time even when the main story isn't as great as our favorite installments.
Grade: 7/10

Madeleine Ribbon - Blessed Curses

Though he’s a sorcerer with a talent for creating blessings, David can do very little with any other magic. He works the night shift for his cousin’s magical supply shop because he’s cursed—his brother did it when they were kids—and now people can’t stand to be near David since he inspires irrational fear. Many experts have tried to remove it, but the curse has proven completely binding. Then David meets Vaughn at his brother's wedding. 
Vaughn works for the magical enforcers, picking apart complex curses and making sure sorcerers stay within the law. He has the ability to dampen magical effects around him and loves solving supposedly irreversible curses like David’s. He quickly develops a more personal interest in David. Despite the distance David attempts to keep between them, he finally realizes when Vaughn is injured on the job that he doesn’t want to stay away anymore. But what about the curse?

Comment: While shopping for another book, I've come across this one and the blurb caught my eye immediately. I thought his would be a very interesting story and it would be romantic and well done.
I also loved the cover, it's so beautiful, isn't it?

The story focuses on David, he's a young man with a curse his brother put on him when they were children. Cursed to live with it, David can only bear his brother's touch because it's a repellent curse to everyone else, many people feel unsafe and worried and unwell around him.
On his brother's wedding, David meets Vaughn, an enforcer, sort of a cop. Vaughn loves challenges and he wants to find out more about David's curse whit so many magicians said to be incurable. But David is a person beyond his curse and Vaughn likes what he sees and gets to know better...

This story was very promising but in the end it turned out to be only OK. I think what disappointed me the most was their relationship, how it promised to be explosive but it was more sugary than what I think it had to be. When the guys met it seemed Vaughn would be alpha enough to conduct things without being too much overpowering but I confess I wasn't expecting him to show a sweet side too much..it ind of removed most of my awe of him.
David was an innocent and not much into people considering how others react around him. He had reasons to be distant and feel isolated and brushed aside. I thought it would be an interesting sub plot to see him getting more confidence or self esteem and on this side I was mildly happy with things. David learned how to deal with others, how to admit he wanted Vaughn, but as much of the plot revolved around the two guys' relationship and being this not so well done in my point of view, David also wasn't as overly amazing as that.

The writing was well done I guess. It was easy to read, the story was told in a very easy and fluid way. Sometimes the easier the telling, the more beautiful the story. In this case it could have been better. If the angst had been a little bit better done or if there was a more serious tone to things I think it would only improve the story.

This story has an interesting background..I mean, it's ful of magic and many people practice magic. There are humans too, pretty much against it. I think it would have been interesting to see the world a bit more developed. My feeling is this wasn't the author's goal. She intended to write a story about those two guys, perhaps more focused on the romance than the settings. I wished she could have written a bigger story where she could develop everything a bit more. This is what it feels like, that she could have done more but chose not to or had the page limit or something..but it's a world with possibilities...
Grade 6/10